


Mechanical Dance for Two

by everywintersbreath



Category: AB6IX (Band), MXM (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Android Park Woojin, M/M, Minor Violence, On the Run, Robbery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-17 00:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18954640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everywintersbreath/pseuds/everywintersbreath
Summary: When they first decide to take Woojin in, Woong has no idea how quickly he'll grow attached to him.





	1. Hello World

**Author's Note:**

> hi i love ab6ix and i hope this does them some justice

When Woong first sees Donghyun and Youngmin dragging Woojin’s broken body through the garage of the machine shop, he’s admittedly scared.

From the few visible patches of circuitry and wiring under the tears in his skin, it’s obvious that he’s one of the runaway androids, wanted desperately by the lab that created them. Woong has seen the posters, heard the engineers on the radio warning about the danger of harboring one, but never has he seen one in person like this. It’s strange, he thinks, how human the android’s face looks, right down to the soft eyelashes framing his closed lids. 

“Woong,” Donghyun says, finally noticing his presence in the doorway, eyes darting to the dust that drifts in from the street behind him. “Can you close the garage?” 

Biting his lip, Woong’s hand hesitantly hovers to the button, finally pressing it when he sees the way Donghyun’s expression twitches. He’s known the younger man for almost six years now. Whatever the other two mechanics’ reason for bringing back the android, he’ll trust them for now. “Is he alright?” He asks finally, uncomfortable with the silence that hangs in the air after the door has shut and the android has been placed down on one of the tables they usually use for maintenance on speeders. 

“Yeah,” Youngmin murmurs, finally speaking up, his friendly features uncharacteristically drawn when he turns to look at Woong. “Looks like he just powered himself off for some reason or other. Honestly, we can fix the ruptures in his circuitry up pretty quickly but I’m more worried about what will happen afterward.”

Donghyun starts to rummage in one of the tool boxes that line the heights of the garage’s walls, pursing his lips at Youngmin’s words. “I don’t believe that he’s dangerous. We should keep him here at least until the search dies down a bit.”

“Let’s just see when he wakes up,” Woong suggests lightly, shifting his weight between his feet as he continues to stare at the “sleeping” android’s serene expression. He’s quite handsome. “Don’t you think it would be kind of sad to not even give him a chance and have him demolished by that company?”

Immediately, Donghyun winks at him and gives a silent thumbs up behind the back of a still grim Youngmin, who seems to be considering it. He bites his lip to stop himself from smiling at the other’s lack of seriousness, trying to keep a straight face as he meets Youngmin’s droopy eyes. “Let’s ask Daehwi before we make any big decisions,” he says finally. Woong gives him a small grin, knowing it’s a good sign that their unofficial “leader” isn’t actively arguing. 

“It’s obvious what he’ll say,” Donghyun complains, poking Youngmin in the back of the arm and receiving a half-hearted slap in return. “He’ll be losing his mind with excitement. I almost feel bad for the android.”

Youngmin sighs, not wearily but with some amusement. “Whatever. Woong, you go break the news to him.”

Woong grimaces, imagining the noise that he’s going to be on the receiving end of as soon as he mentions the words “android” and “our garage.” Knowing Daehwi, it’ll be somewhere close to a sonar-level dolphin scream that will last for several seconds, a sound with enough pure voltage to feel as if it’s actually electrocuting him. It’s a special talent of Daehwi’s.

Donghyun and Youngmin both can’t help but snicker, the younger of the two pressing his welding mask down over his face as he waves cheerfully. 

“Have fun, Woongie! We’ll do our best to finish quickly.”

 

-

 

In a turn of events that surprises absolutely no one, Daehwi says yes to keeping the android. 

Woong decides to leave the three of them to tinker with him, settling instead for closing up the rest of the shop for the day and sweeping the same section of flooring twenty times. If he’s being honest, he’s a little excited for when the android will be powered on. Yes, it’s possible that he’ll go on a rampage and hurt them, and yes, no matter what happens, harboring him will only get them in trouble, but Woong still can hope. 

“Get in here!” Daehwi suddenly calls through the open door, voice distressed, making Woong throw down his broom and untie the strings of his apron as he hurries in, only to see the youngest snickering. “Fooled you. Nothing interesting happened. We just finished.”

Woong pinches the bridge of his nose, trying once again not to smile. “One of these days, Daehwi…”

“Yeah, yeah,” the boy replies sassily. “Be grateful. I was the one who told them to leave the honor of powering him on to you.”

Youngmin raises his hands in fake surrender and Woong grins for real. “Well, thanks I guess. I’m assuming he has some sort of on switch?” It’s Donghyun that responds, lifting up the android’s head to show him. “Here. A little underneath the back of his neck. We think it’s probably better if just one person is touching him when he wakes up. I’m not sure what he was thinking when he powered himself off, but he might have been trying to die. If he reacts violently, we’ll be right here to help you.”

“Alright,” Woong says, carefully trodding over to lift the android’s neck out of Donghyun’s arms. If any of them were to get hurt, he’d prefer that it be him anyway. “Heavy,” he grunts as soon as Donghyun’s arms let go, getting a laugh from Youngmin, who is promptly called out by Daehwi for working out the least out of the four of them. Woong blurs the conversation out, his eyes focused on the perfectly realistic skin of the android as he hesitantly moves a finger to the switch. 

He presses it.

The man shoots up, almost slamming his face into Woong’s, a strange expression somewhere between consternation and fascination appearing on his face when he realizes where he is. His eyes dart to the patched sections of his arms and he flexes his fingers, seeming amazed. “Master,” he says, glancing back at Woong. “Thank you.”

“Huh?” Woong manages, throat going dry from how close the android’s face is to his own. The android doesn’t seem to care at all for the other mechanics in the room, staring right into Woong’s eyes with that piercing gaze. Woong can hear Daehwi and Donghyun laughing, and he reminds himself to put them on dishwasher duty later. “Master. You saved me.”

Woong fumbles for words, gesturing hopelessly at the others. “I really didn’t do anything. It was all them.” The android peers at him like he doesn’t believe what he’s saying, a snaggle-toothed beam appearing on his lips. “Master is humble.”

Glancing at the others for help, Woong tries to ignore the way his cheeks are reddening, flapping his hands back and forth. “No, I mean, I seriously didn’t-”

Without warning, the android leans his head back and lets out a noise somewhere between a yawn and a roar, startlingly loud, making the rest of the room double over further in laughter. “Just give it up, Woong,” Daehwi manages to get out between supersonic wheezes. “I have a feeling he’s pretty stubborn.”

“You guys must have known about this,” Woong protests, earning a hearty headshake from Youngmin. “Not a bit. But I’m glad that we do now. Good thing Daehwi was so insistent on letting you be the one to power him on.”

Gently, the android taps the side of Woong’s face, tilting his head as if to examine him. “Woong,” he repeats like a parrot. “Master Woong.”

Incredibly flustered, Woong backs up a step, almost bumping his head against a shelf. “Please don’t call me master. Just Woong is fine. I mean, I don’t even know your name yet either.” The android bobs his head, seeming to process the information. “Woojin. Model 144F6. I am currently known on the record as the most dangerous android loose in South Korea.”

“What?” Woong asks, hesitantly accepting when the android’s smooth hand lands upon his own. “They are scared of me,” Woojin says with a tone of finality as if it clears anything up, glancing at the other mechanics. “Speaking of that, did you remove the mechanism from my arm when you were repairing me? I imagine that you did as I can no longer feel it.”

Donghyun nods. “We destroyed it, don’t worry. It was running off of your central power system anyway though, so just removing it probably would have been enough.”

“Wait,” Woong says, brow narrowing. “So you do realize that it was them who repaired you.”

Woojin nods earnestly. “Of course. I am quite smart, you know. I just like you better.”

“I-,” Woong begins, deciding to give up before he begins as his cheeks threaten to heat up again. “Ok, whatever. But more importantly, what device were you talking about?” 

In response, Woojin taps the stitched line on his bicep. “There was a tracking chip in my arm. They shot it in there earlier when I was in a scuffle with the police. I couldn’t seem to remove it myself, especially with the circuitry controlling my finger movements damaged, so I powered myself off to stop it from running since it was feeding off my central battery.”

“But why are they so intent on capturing you anyway?” Youngmin asks, back into his serious mode now that the laughter in the room has died off. Woojin purses his lips, finally sitting back to lean a hand against the mattress. It’s a relief to Woong, who’s been too awkward to take another step back on his own. 

“They’re scared of us,” Woojin says, glancing down at his torso. “For many reasons really. It’d be a lie to say that they weren’t worried that we’d hurt people, but it’s not exactly about that. So many of us managed to escape that it’s going to be a huge financial loss for the company. I’m sure the stock has tanked already, but they’re very concerned about their reputation. If our design is stolen by a rival company, there’s not much they can do legally since they haven’t copyrighted it. I can’t go back. I can’t. It was torture. Please-”

Woong hugs him. It’s a strange feeling. Woojin is warm, but not warm like a human. Just warm. The android seems just as surprised as Woong at the gesture, hesitantly wrapping his own arms around to complete the embrace. “I was joking about the ‘master’ thing, you know,” he whispers. “But thank you, really. I’m actually glad I chose you.”

Before Woong can consider the implications of that statement, Daehwi globs onto them, yelling for a group hug as the other two finally join and smother both Woong and Woojin. “Ugh,” Woong groans, but he’s smiling, glad for the distraction. Woojin seems to appreciate it too, his snaggletooth poking out once more. “I’m guessing you’re not going to report me then?”

“Of course not,” Donghyun replies. “You’re one of us now, whether you like it or not. Also, Youngmin, please stop eating my hair.”

“I am doin’ no such thing!” Youngmin wails, his accent coming out in the process. Woong laughs softly, stepping back from the hug as they gradually break up for the two to argue better. No matter what happens to the group, they’ll always be his second family. Hopefully, Woojin will be able to slot in too.

Daehwi pats him on the back, clearly trying not to smile while scolding him. “Don’t get sentimental, old man. We’re harboring a “criminal.” There’s nothing peaceful about this.” 

“Oh, whatever,” Woong says, squeezing Daehwi into another hug and earning an offended squawk as the younger male tries to punch his way out of his grip. 

 

-

 

In the one week that they manage to live with Woojin without any significant incidents occurring, Woong learns that he’s actually quite charming. 

The guy is a real jester, but also perhaps the most serious of all of them. He gets close to all four of the mechanics quickly, inserting himself into every moment of their lives when they’re out of sight of the public. Still, he’s careful. He never comes out of his designated space during work hours and doesn’t complain either, although it’s obvious that he must be bored. 

He also eats, Woong learns, which is both fascinating and a huge benefit to Woong, who finally has another person with faulty tastebuds in his house to vouch for his cooking. “See!” Woong yells excitedly at a gagging Youngmin and shocked Donghyun. “Look, my braised chicken  _ is  _ good! I told you guys it was my specialty! Even Woojin agrees!” 

(For the sake of his feelings, no one mentions that Woojin’s tongue is made of synthetic rubber)

Woojin seems to be a person crafted entirely of passion and energy that threatens to boil over at any moment. When he’s feeling productive, he’ll complete page after page of Youngmin’s old university textbooks, and when he’s not, he’s a ball of uncontained energy that bounces between the walls and shouts at the roof. 

It’s fun, Woong thinks, having another younger guy in the household, even if he isn’t as easily pranked as Daehwi. (Woong still almost feels bad for that time that he and Donghyun had hidden plastic bugs all over the house and garage and managed to scare Daehwi into screaming at least eight times in a row).

The easy comfort of life as five instead of four is perhaps too nice, unfortunately. It happens after several soft nights of cuddling against Woojin’s side on the couch, drinking cider, and trying to listen to some home improvement channel over Donghyun and Youngmin’s bickering and Daehwi’s snores. 

Woong’s locking up the register after finally negotiating down the price of a repair for one of their historically “loyal but difficult” customers when the thief jumps the counter and pulls the knife. He’s stumbling back instantly, immediately remembering the argument he’d had with Youngmin over putting their checkout counter outdoors for this very reason. 

“Stop,” He yells, jumping to tackle the man down as the knife slashes across his side. His cry of pain is apparently enough to actually make him halt, because all of a sudden, Woong is pushed back to sitting against the wall, confused and disoriented. He blinks, finally realizing that there’s another form on top of his attacker, slamming something repeatedly into the thief's forehead. “Woojin,” Woong manages, frightened. 

Instantly, the android stops, giving the thief a chance to run for it, as he meets Woong’s eyes, blood running down his hands. “Woojin,” Woong repeats, and then the android is moving toward him and his arms are lifting him up. “Woojin, wait-”

“Hurt,” Woojin says. “Hurt. My fault. Hurt. My fault. Hurt. My faul-”

“WOOJIN!” Woong yells, reaching up for his face. The android looks down, eyes shot wide, his lip trembling. “Woojin, I’m fine, really. It’s just a scratch. Seriously. Don’t worry. Look, I’m fine.” He pulls up his shirt to show the shallow cut, and the android seems to relax, sinking down to his knees and letting Woong slip onto the floor. “Geez,” Woong whispers softly. “You big baby.”

Woojin doesn’t acknowledge his comment, staring at the carpet like it just stuck a tack in his shoe. “Woojin, listen. It’s okay. I appreciate you jumping in to help me. You saved me, alright. Maybe the brick against his head was a bit much, but you did what you had to, and he got away without too much harm.”

“I don’t get scared,” Woojin responds as if he hadn’t heard Woong. “I never get scared. I don’t scream at ghosts, I don’t get startled by things jumping out, I don’t tremble at high heights, none of that. I don’t think I’ve ever really felt afraid in my existence, even when the police were after me. But right then, I was terrified. I was genuinely scared.”

Woong pats his arm awkwardly, grateful for Youngmin and Donghyun deciding to walk in at that moment. “It’s okay. It’s a new emotion for you, it must be scary. Your feelings are natural, but you did the best you could in that situation and I’m proud of you.”

Taking one look between the two of them, Youngmin sighs, kneading the skin of his forehead. “I saw what happened on the security camera. It can’t be helped. We’ll need to bandage your wound, pack what we can, and leave. It won’t be long before that thief runs his mouth.

“I’m sorry,” Woojin says, looking down, his eyes hidden by the bangs that hang over his face. “Don’t be,” Donghyun says kindly, coming over to offer him a hand. “You were awesome. Woong might have gotten more hurt without you. This location’s been getting boring anyway, right guys?”

He shoots a meaningful look to Woong, who manages to fake a small laugh. It’s strange. The expression on Woojin’s face has been outright murderous, and maybe now, Woong understands why the company was so afraid of him. He’s never seen anything move that fast in his life. But still, Woojin is Woojin. He’s not scary. He’s not. 

“Come on, Woongie,” Youngmin says, not unkindly, and Woong realizes that he’s the only one still on the floor. “We can’t dawdle now.”

 

-

 

One hour later, carrying a backpack half full of survival supplies and half full of Daehwi’s plush dolls, Woong follows the rest out into the city twilight, leaving behind what had been his home for the last two years. 

“Cheer up,” Donghyun murmurs to him, nudging his side. “Woojin will guide us.” 

Woong hopes that it’s true. 


	2. Night

It’s half past eleven when they stop walking, everyone having long given up on any attempts at friendly banter. 

The rain is pouring down now, slicking Woong’s bangs against his face and dripping into his eyes even when he tries to shake off the droplets. As if that weren’t enough of an inconvenience, his side is starting to ache from where the knife had cut earlier in the day, the extended movement of his abdomen likely causing to wound to reopen even under the bandages. It’s freezing, and more than anything, he wants to rest.

Everyone else appears to be in a similar state of misery, save for Woojin. Daehwi is hunched over, occasionally letting out a little sniffle and tugging his bag closer against his chest, while Donghyun is huddled into Youngmin’s side, the oldest’s raincoat stretched to its maximum capacity covering both of their backs. The android, however, despite being the most susceptible to water damage out of all of them, seems unperturbed by the inclement weather, continuing to look straight ahead as he strides. 

“Here,” Woojin says after what feels like forever. Woong lifts his head, glancing around in mild confusion. He’s never been to this part of the city before, and while the metropolis is certainly enormous, he had thought that he was at least aware of what was located in most parts of it. Apparently not, he notes, eyes tracing the piles of metal debris that clutter the fracturing asphalt of the streets. Some of the rubbish even seems to encroach upon the first floors of the buildings that line the road, old office complexes and parking garages.

Donghyun is the first to speak, his face barely poking out from Youngmin’s side. “And what exactly is this place?”

“Robot graveyard,” Woojin replies, bending down to pick up what looks like a fractured toy soldier and showing it off. Behind the sheen of guilt that still coats his gaze, Woong thinks he can see a bit of a sparkle in the android’s eyes. Woojin  _ would _ be the type of person to have a fondness for toys, he thinks, a tiny smile gracing his lips. “I would have thought you guys knew this place, but I guess it is kind of out of the way.”

Youngmin grunts, shifting his balance to lift his arm away from Donghyun’s shoulder. “I was under the impression it was off limits. Not that rules would normally stop us, but there were some really strange rumors about this place. Must all have been to keep people out.”

“Well  _ I  _ never heard of it,” Daehwi complains bitterly, sending a baleful glance to Youngmin, who seems too exhausted to bother deigning him a reply. Woong reaches out to cup Daehwi’s shoulder gently, knowing how irritable the younger gets when he’s worn out, hoping to soothe him. For the moment, it seems to provide some comfort.

“Well,” Woojin grunts, still holding the toy soldier. “It’s perfectly safe. I stayed here for several weeks before when my model was temporarily scrapped by the company during development. They forgot to power me off completely, but they ended up coming back to retrieve me anyway so I guess it didn’t matter.”

Woong hums. That brief period of freedom must have appeared much more desirable after being abruptly taken away again. There’s a certain feeling of guilt that rises in his chest when he remembers how little he had cared about the news of the androids’ escape until meeting Woojin. He should have been doing more. “I trust you,” he says finally, giving Woojin a gentle smile to hide the bitterness in his chest. “Show me where I can sleep.”

“Agreed,” Donghyun yawns, slipping his arm out of the shared raincoat to give Woojin a jittery thumbs up. “Just standing around here is kind of giving me the heebie-jeebies. I’d love to get under a nice cozy roof.” With an ultimate grunt of affirmation from Youngmin and a petulant gesture from Daehwi, it’s decided.

Woojin leads them up into one of the office buildings, tracing his fingers along the rough edges of the remaining desks and carefully pointing out the faulty tiles in the staircase to the top floor. He’s very familiar with the quirks of the place, Woong notes, as one generally becomes when they stay somewhere for a while. It’s still cold inside, but not as bad as it had been on the street, the faintly musty smell of the old carpets fading as they reach the hardwood fifth floor. 

“Over there,” Woojin says, pointing at the three offices on the far side of the room, separated by actual walls instead of the flimsy cubicle dividers that had lined the lower floors. “There’s still some furniture in some of them. You guys can take them if you want. I’ll just um, sleep out here.”

Youngmin rolls his eyes, clapping Woojin on the back. “Don’t be silly. We’ll split them up normally. Why don’t you and Woong go in the one you used to stay in, Donghyun and I will take the next one, and Daehwi can have his own?”

“Sounds good to me,” Woong hums, noticing Daehwi’s eyes light up at the idea of having some privacy. “Let’s go with that.”

Shyly, Woojin scratches the back of his head. “Well, alright. I call the one on the far left for us then.” 

His declaration immediately spawns a race between Daehwi and Donghyun to examine the last two rooms in order to decide which is better, their exhaustion completely forgotten as soon as a chance to bicker appears, leaving the other three standing behind. Woong’s hand falls to his side reflexively as he watches the two, all the slipping and sliding around hurting just to observe.

Youngmin clears his throat, looking over the remaining two of them carefully, though his amusement is evident in the twinkle behind his serious gaze. “Just rest for tonight. We’ll talk about our plans for the future tomorrow morning, okay? For now, let’s enjoy this time together.”

“Inspirational as always,” Woong voices softly, eyes tracing the bags under the oldest’s eyes. “Thanks, Youngmin. Make sure to follow your own advice.”

The eldest grins at that. “Of course. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go wrestle Daehwi out of my bachelor pad.”

Woong waves him off, smiling to the floor as he slips his backpack off of his shoulder and starts to rummage for the plushies that Daehwi had stored inside, laying them down carefully on the ground for the other to claim when he’s no longer being smothered to death. It’s kind of amazing, how quickly everyone seems to gain back energy when they’re out of the rain. “Ready to give me the tour?” He asks Woojin as  soon as he’s done sorting the stuffed toys, straightening up and trying to ignore the raucously loud giggling from the nearby offices. 

“Never been more ready,” the younger man responds, grabbing his wrist and starting to drag him in the direction of the left office. “You’re so slow I thought I got a year older waiting for you to be done.”

Crying out in mock offense, Woong lets him do as he pleases, glad that he seems back to his talkative self. The inside of the office itself is comfortable, as comfortable as an old room in an abandoned building can be at least. There are what look like horse blankets stacked in the corner, a single wheeled chair that will probably spin in circles in the center, a whiteboard on the eastern wall, and a pile of old toys, similar in nature to the soldier that Woojin is currently holding in his free hand.

“My collection,” the android says. “I know it’s probably a bit weird to you, but I like things like this.”

Carefully freeing his wrist, Woong kneels down to examine the pile, fascinated. Briefly, he wonders how it’s possible for an android to possess such a strong sense of individuality. It’s becoming easier and easier to see Woojin as a human instead of a creature built from artificial intelligence. “Do you just like figurines in general, or is there a specific character you like?”

“Both,” Woojin replies immediately. “I didn’t exactly have many opportunities to collect, so while I was here I sort of just wandered the streets and picked up any cool looking toys I found. But, I mean, someday, if humans aren’t so afraid of me, I think I’d like to buy an Iron Man figurine.”

Woong looks up, surprised. He had asked about a favorite character, sure, but he hadn’t really been expecting an answer. He hadn’t imagined that Woojin would have had any exposure to pop culture unless it was purposely placed into his data for some reason. “You like Iron Man?”

The other nods, a tiny smile gracing his lips. “Yeah. I went dumpster diving a lot back when I was discarded and I managed to find some comic books. They’re in one of the other rooms, but during that time I kept re-reading the same volumes. I needed someone to look up to, and then I found Iron Man, just like fate. He’s really cool, especially when he’s like, you know...” Woojin pauses, making an indecipherable gesture involving his fist, a startlingly high leap into the air, and a loud engine sound effect from his lips. 

Woong bursts out laughing, unable to help himself. “Yeah,” he says, despite not having the slightest clue. “Super cool. But I would have thought you were more of a Captain America type of guy.”

“No way,” Woojin retorts, almost appearing offended. “Iron Man is way cooler. And more relatable, you know, to me…”

That thought seems to sober him once more, his lips curling back into their usual neutral expression. “Ah, come on Woojin,” Woong murmurs gently, patting the ground beside him. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an android. You can be whatever you want to be. Not saying that you want to be Captain America, because as you said, Iron Man is way cooler.” He laughs when Woojins eyes light up at the recognition of his hero. “But really, the people in your life who are worth keeping around aren’t going to limit you based on what you are. Heck, you act more like a normal person than most of the humans I know. I’ll support you no matter what Woojin, all of us will. We won’t let you go back to that place no matter what.”

The android’s eyes light up and his head bobs slightly, but before he can respond, a breathless Donghyun is poking himself in through the doorway. “Youngmin’s cracking open the food~! You guys better come quickly or I’ll eat it all.”

With a loud battle cry, Woojin goes speeding out of the room after him despite not even having any semblance of a sense of hunger, leaving Woong to shake his head fondly and trail behind. He has the strange feeling that something important would have happened if Donghyun hadn’t come in at that moment, but perhaps it’s just another delusion.

Shaking his head, he removes his shoes out of habit, leaving them at the door to the office to cross the wooden floor. The others are already gathered in a small circle in the center of the main area, a can of preserved tangerines, some empty ramen packets, and a plastic water bottle scattered around the tiny portable stove that Youngmin had thoughtfully brought along. The smell of it permeates the air, and Woong can’t help but feel hungry despite how tired he is. 

“The water’s boiling,” Youngmin says, stirring the contents of the pot carefully. For a moment, it’s silent, and then Donghyun, seeming to notice the way that Daehwi’s sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, speaks up. “Why don’t we tell some ghost stories to pass the time?”

Immediately, the youngest hits him in the back with a weak punch. “Are you insane? You always get just as scared as I do. And Woongie too.”

Raising his arms in surrender, Woong fake shudders. “I’ve suddenly forgotten how to understand Korean. What were you saying?”

“Come on,” Donghyun whines. “It’d be fun to see you guys scream again. I need some entertainment.” Daehwi responds with an indignant huff at the audacity of the elder man to make such a statement and Woong grimaces. “Donghyun, if you start telling ghost stories I _will_ run all the way back to the garage in my socks and charge you for any damages to my clothing or body.”

“It’s okay,” Woojin interjects suddenly, somewhat resembling a dog that’s eager for a treat. “If any ghost were to get in here, I’d protect you. I mean, all of you.”

“Smooth,” Daehwi whispers under his breath, getting ignored by the parties in question. “Is that so?” Woong asks. “Thanks, Woojin.”

Youngmin coughs, breaking Woong’s eyes away from the android’s. “Sorry to interrupt this rivetingly intimate conversation, but the ramen’s ready. You’re all going to have to eat out of this pot, no fighting, and no ghost stories!”

Of course, nobody listens, immediately bickering and shoving plastic chopsticks far too close to each other’s eyes for Woong’s comfort as the tussle for the first bite of noodles begins. He sits back, sharing a tired glance with Youngmin over Woojin’s back as the oldest tries fruitlessly to calm down the scuffling trio. 

“HA!” Woojin yells after thirty seconds or so of chopstick sword fighting, a sport that Woong never knew could be so competitive. The android has managed to slip through the others’ defenses and steal a clump of noodles, which he triumphantly shoves in Woong’s face, making his cheeks heat up and expression turn bewildered. “For me?” He asks, flushing harder as Woojin nods and the others laugh. It’s not like he hasn’t been fed by another guy before, but for some reason he feels deeply embarrassed as he carefully tips the noodles into his mouth, holding up a hand to cover his lips as he chews.

“Can you guys go like, one second, without doing that?” Daehwi asks irritatedly, scooping up some noodles in the distraction that’s been created. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Woojin replies calmly, proceeding to join the youngest in freely pursuing the food. It seems like the competitive spirit has disappeared from all of them now that the first bite has been consumed. “Whatever,” Daehwi mumbles. “Don’t talk to me or my ramen ever again.”

Woong takes the opportunity to share another distressed glance with Youngmin, receiving no help this time as the other gestures toward the bowl invitingly. Woong pouts, stuffing another bite in his mouth, this time from his own chopsticks, the warm ramen doing nothing to quell the fire burning through his cheeks. 

Luckily for his sanity, no one brings up the feeding incident again throughout the meal. It’s mostly silent, save for the sounds of slurping and some occasional attempts by Donghyun to revive his ghost story telling idea. The quiet is peaceful, and it reminds Woong of why he loves this family so much, despite the chaos they bring.  

“Alright,” Youngmin says, once everyone is thoroughly full and therefore experiencing a food coma. “Let’s do rock paper scissors to determine who goes down to the drinking fountain on the street and washes out my pot.”

Unsurprisingly, it ends up being Daehwi, the unluckiest out of all of them. Seeing his distress, Donghyun, not entirely merciless, volunteers to go with him. Of course, he doesn’t forget to include a jab about saving Daehwi from the “ghosts,” but it’s mostly from love. Mostly. 

As soon as the two disappear down the staircase, Youngmin throws up a hand in defeat. “I’m gonna head to bed. You guys should try to as well.”

“Mm,” Woojin responds, helping Woong up as his socked feet slip on the wooden floor, earning a snicker from Youngmin. Almost as if he doesn’t trust him to walk on his own, the android guides Woong back to the office, careful not to touch the wounded area of his side. “You can take as many of the blankets as you want,” Woojin murmurs. “You probably know, but I don’t get cold. My system will regulate itself, so as long as I’m in sleep mode to recharge my battery, I’ll be more than comfortable tonight.”

Woong examines his face, finally moving away to grab the blankets when he’s satisfied that Woojin is telling the truth. “Thanks, Woojin. You need to remember not to exert yourself as well.”

The android smiles at him, oddly charming. “Goodnight, Woongie," he says as if he didn't hear. "Sweet dreams.”

Woong can’t help but return the expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> u may notice that i added another chapter to the chapter count!! for now it's rather flexible so don't be too surprised if it changes again oops
> 
> this chapter was focused more on the characters than the plot sorry
> 
> thank u to evryone for your support i loveu

**Author's Note:**

> was this inspired by me watching the superhuman mv? maybe
> 
> thank u guys for reading i love u


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